Why am I blogging a trip to Poland?

For over 20 years I've been working on a Family Tree, tracing the BETEL family back to the late 1700s.

Traveling to Berlin and then Poland was a life changing experience. I hope you take the time to read through the stories and see the many images included.
Michael



Friday, April 8, 2011

Reflections

This will be my last blog entry for the trip and in some ways it's the hardest because I'm forced to reflect upon the last 9 days and summarize in words how I feel.

Berlin's tributes to the holocaust through it's many memorials really helped to set the stage and prepare us for what was ahead. Searching through the database in the museum beneath the Holocaust memorial led me to more data that I was still missing from the Shoah (Hebrew word for Holocaust) database.  I was surprised that I found new information for my Family Tree.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin


Reading letters written by both adults and children who knew their death was probably only days away was painful and really put into perspective the terror, the sorrow and the helplessness they must have felt.
In Berlin I felt proud that I was, some 70 years later, allowed to walk freely down the very same streets where others like me would have instantly, without provocation or warning be shot and killed.

Auschwitz and Birkenau were painful to see in person and we were both most impacted by the human elements we saw; the room filled with hair, the brushes, the cups and bowls, the shoes, the suitcases, and the children's clothes. When the allies came, the Nazis tried to destroy all the evidence. This was all that remained. Who were these people and will they be remembered?

Visiting the actual towns where my ancestor's were born and lived was truly amazing.  Walking the same streets, seeing much the same landscapes (of course the development has changed in the 90 years from when my Grandparents left there), really is quite different than visiting over the Internet or reading about it in books, or even this blog.

In Szydlow, where most of my ancestors were born and lived, I suddenly had the realization that in time most or all of what happened there would quietly be forgotten.  We asked a number of people where the Jewish cemetery was, and all but one said that there was no Jewish cemetery.  The headstones were displayed on the floor in the museum which once was a beautiful and fully functioning synagogue for a thriving community. Somehow the Nazis missed a few headstones and the half dozen to the back left of the hall were all that remained.

My relentlessness to find the actual cemetery paid off, when a woman in her 90's, dressed modestly, sitting on a park bench told me, through Anna, (my colleague and a Polish resident) that the cemetery was outside the Krakow gate down the road towards Chmielnik. She continued with her specific directions to cross over just past the river (almost dried up) and to take the first path to the right.

There were no signs, no monuments, no fences or barriers.  All that was there was an empty field and a small structure made of stone, that was significantly damaged, with only part of it remaining.

Szydlow Cemetery


Structure Within Szydlow Cemetery

If you looked up you could see the town of Szydlow and it makes perfect sense that the cemetery would be located there.

Szydlow Cemetery Shown in Previous Blog
View of Szydlow

A small bridge was within steps of the cemetery and if you looked underneath, I am almost positive that more headstones were used as support to maintain the bridge. Below are the images and you can decide. It was impossible to read anything because the stones were weather worn and many broken into smaller pieces stacked one upon the other.

Cemetery Headstones Beneath Bridge

Cemetery Headstones Beneath Bridge

I felt terrible for those who were buried there, having no visitors, and forgotten less than a century after they died. I felt angry about the fact that the locals either rejected the existence of the cemetery, or possibly worse, knew about it and refused to share the information. 

For 2.5 years I searched the Internet and the best I could find was simply the comment, 'the cemetery is off the road towards Chmielnik'. For any of you who ever plan to go there, here are the exact  GPS coordinates of the Szydlow Jewish cemetery.

50 35' 25"N    20 59' 53"E

In Krakow and in Chmielnik, it was blatantly obvious that there are no longer any Jewish residents. Yet, there are a few restaurants in the old Jewish quarter advertising "Jewish style food", playing Klesmer music all in a venue that is surrounded by Jewish artwork and paintings reflecting religious Jewish life and people. It made me feel resentful and angry that the owners of these restaurants were profiting heavily by misrepresenting their offerings as a Jewish experience.  The food was for the most part, was not really representative of Jewish dishes or preparations. One example was a menu choice of Passover cheese. What is that? One comment about the decor - I don't know where the 50 or so paintings came from, and I don't even want to imagine it.

While we sat in the Ariel restaurant last night we looked it up online and found one visitor say he was shocked by something he saw. I couldn't believe it was true, so we went after dinner to see for ourselves.

As you left the first Ariel Restaurant (there are 3 parts), two staff members coaxed guests to check out their Jewish souvenirs. I looked for the item mentioned on the Internet, and there it was sitting behind glass within a showcase for sale for 80PLN (about $28).  I asked to hold it and it is, I think, the only truly anti-Semitic thing I have ever held in my hands.

Imagine stereotyping an entire religion and creating (by an artist according to the owner), an 8 inch wooden statue of a Chassidic, religious Jew, characterized by a large hooked nose and in his left hand carrying a bag of money and in his right hand 1 Grosz (the lowest denomination of currency in Poland). I now know first hand what racism is about and it was certainly confirmed when the seller acknowledged that it would be good luck to own it.

Below are 3 images I took this week that all reflect continued stereotyping of Jewish people by some people in Poland.  The first was taken in the Ariel Restaurant at their front door. It was in a small showcase.  The second is a photo of the actual statue being sold in their souvenir gift shop. The third is a wood carving that was taken at Szydlow a couple of days ago.

Stereotyping of a Religious Jew

Statue of Religious Jew Carrying a
Bag of Money and a Coin

Wood Carving Statue in Szydlow

In my Uncle Myer's words in an email he wrote early this morning to a cousin of ours now living in California, "I have had an amazing (heartbreaking, angry, resentful) trip back in time to a museum of our past history, with Jewish style food, klezmer music, art souvenirs, and No Jews."

My final comments? 
A trip like this can change you. It could make you angry and resentful. It could make you sorrowful. It could make you feel grateful for what we have and the freedom to express ourselves and to practice religion if we choose.

The point of a trip like this is to remember what happened, what could happen and to stand up for what we know is right even in difficult situations.
I hope through my words these past 9 days you can share as much as possible, the emotions we felt, and all that we have seen and experienced.
Michael Betel
April 8, 2011



Thursday, April 7, 2011

Krakow and the Land Down Under (The Salt Mine)

The "Crakow Tour" gave us the chance to check out Kazimerz again, Wawel Hill, the Royal Castle and Cathedral.  Later I went on the Wieliczka Salt Mine tour and we had dinner in Kazimierz.

Wawel Hill - the Walk up to the Wawel Castle

View of Krakow From Inside Wawel Castle

Tomb of Polish President Lech Kaczynski and Wife who Died in 2010 Plane Crash

Wawel Castle from Krakow

Here are a few shots of some of the people of Krakow:

Bagel Seller - Cost is 1.5PLN (50 cents)

Gypsy Woman Playing Accordion - also 1.5PLN
How Does He Do That?

Great Effect - Let's Call Him the Krakow Floater

Last tour of the day was to the Wieliczka Salt Mine. 800 years old and they get about 7,000 visitors a day during peak season. It takes about 2 hours for the tour and you walk about 3.5km, down 800 stairs and through the mine.

Wieliczka Salt Mine Near Krakow

Interesting to see...not sure I would recommend it for visitors. You can see the images below and decide!

Corridor Down the Salt Mine

Tour Guide Tried to get us to Taste the Salt Walls (um...no!)

Sculpture Made of Salt

Pope John Paul II Sculpture for 2010 Visit
Which He Never Did

Chapel of Saint Kinga - Almost Everything Made of Salt

Tonight we went to a "Jewish Style Dinner", meaning not kosher.  It's located in the old Jewish district of Kazimierz, which I've mentioned earlier in the blog. Apparently Stephen Spielberg ate here during the filming of Schindler's List.

Ariel Restaurant in Krakow

The program is a 3 course dinner and a Klezmer music concert.  The restaurant is called Ariel.
For dinner tonight we both started with soup. Mine, which I quite liked was called Berdytchov soup with beef, honey and cinnamon.  Myer had an onion soup, followed by chicken and for dessert blintzes. I had a turkey slice (boy was it dry) also followed by the blintzes.  Here they called them crepes, and I tried to tell them it was really called blintzes, but the server didn't care at all...

Apple Blintzes (They Were Actually Very Good)

Ariel Restaurant

Klezmer Music Concert During Dinner

Artwork on Walls at Ariel

Artwork on Walls at Ariel

Portrait of Famous Rabbi on Wall

Tomorrow the trip is over. Back to Berlin and then home for me, and Myer is off to visit his son Brian in Amsterdam and then home.  Stay tuned for my final post.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

The Final Solution

Today was the hardest day of all.  We arranged for a private tour starting at 8:45am.  Our plan was to go to Schindler's Factory for 2 hours (used in the filming of Schindler's list), then Auschwitz and finally Birkenau, for another 6 hours.  After writing yesterday's blog, I ended up sleeping only 5 hours.  Anticipation was quite high, seeing something so relevant after hearing about it my whole life.

First stop: Oskar Schindler's Factory.

Who was Oskar Schindler?

"When Krakow's Podgorze district became the site of the Jewish Ghetto for Krakow's huge Jewish population, many Germans set up businesses in the area in an attempt to profit from the Nazi invasion of Poland. Oskar Schindler was such a man, but in the end he came to save the lives of over 1,100 Jews that worked in his factory, often at great risk to his own life and at personal expense. A state of the art permanent exhibition chronicling the Nazi Occupation..." opened in June 2010. http://www.cracow-life.com/culture/culture_details/1163-Oskar_Schindler's_Factory

Schindler's Factory approx 1944 
Oskar Schindler 


The Schindler Factory was a really top notch exhibition.  It was a full multi-media experience with a well designed tour including images, stories, and even background music and voices depending upon which room you were in.

Oskar Schindler Factory Today Full Building


Schindler Factory Today (Sign Removed for Renovation)

 In the exhibit, in the section examining the Krakow Ghetto, there was recognition of an individual named Tadeusz Pankiewicz and The Eagle Pharmacy:

The Under the Eagle Pharmacy as it Stands Today
The only working pharmacy enclosed within the Kraków Ghetto belonged to Tadeusz Pankiewicz, a Polish pharmacist permitted by the German authorities to operate his "Under the Eagle Pharmacy" there upon his request. In recognition of his heroic deeds in rescuing Jews from the Ghetto he was awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraków_Ghetto

Tadeusz Pankiewicz and Staff




"Under the German Nazi occupation of Poland during World War II, Podgórze district was closed off in March 1941 as a ghetto for local area Jewry. Within the walls of the Kraków Ghetto there were four prewar pharmacies owned by non-Jews. Pankiewicz was the only proprietor to decline the German offer of relocating to the aryan side of the city. He was given permission to continue operating his establishment as the only pharmacy in the Ghetto, and reside on the premises.[3] His staff were given passage permits to enter and exit the ghetto for work.

The often-scarce medications and pharmaceutical products supplied to the ghetto's residents, often free of charge, substantially improved their quality of life. In effect, apart from health care considerations, they contributed to survival itself. In his published testimonies, Pankiewicz makes particular mention of hair dyes used by those disguising their identities and tranquilizers given to fretful children required to keep silent during Gestapo raids.


The pharmacy became a meeting place for the ghetto's intelligentsia, and a hub of underground activity. Pankiewicz and his staff, Irena Drozdzikowska, Helena Krywaniuk, and Aurelia Danek, risked their lives to undertake numerous clandestine operations: smuggling food and information, and offering shelter on the premises for Jews facing deportation to the camps.
" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadeusz_Pankiewicz


Under the Eagle Pharmacy

One of the most impactful parts of the museum were the taped interviews with actual Schindler's list survivors.

Myer Witnessing the Testimonial of a Schindler List Survivor

There were many other exhibits, some of which will look familiar from the movie Schindler's List.

Nazi Uniform

Pots Made in Schindler's Factory

Oskar Schindler's Office
Here's a closer look...

Oskar Schindler's Desk Front View

Oskar Schindler's Desk View From His Chair
  
Auschwitz & Birkenau

We arrived around noon and it was quite busy.  We joined a group and spent the next 4 hours walking with the group and listening intently to every word spoken by the guide.  He was sensitive and quite aware of the array of the possible range of emotions of the millions of visitors to Auschwitz.

It is clearly impossible for me to describe Auschwitz except to say that to be there in person is quite different from reading books or watching films.  The best way to share what we saw today is to simply post many of the images I took, so you too can witness the environment where so many human atrocities took place.

For Myer and I the most gut wrenching exhibits were a showcase with 2 tons of human hair. It literally made me nauseous thinking of all the people who perished.  (No photographs were allowed in this room).  We were both shocked and taken by the exhibit displaying a mountain of artificial limbs, eyeglasses, suitcases and myriad other personal effects.  These you can see below:

Cups and Bowls Taken From the Victims

Eyeglasses

Suitcases - Prisoners Were Told to Write Their Names on Their Bags

Shoes
After the prisoners were stripped of their belongings they were told they would be taken to be showered and deloused.  Below are images of the rooms they were taken to and the Zyclon B cans that held the poison used to murder them.  Each can could kill 300 people. Seven cans could kill over 2,000.

Zyclon B - Used to Kill in the Gas Chambers

Oven Used to Cremate Remains of Those Killed

Oven Used to Cremate Remains of Those Killed

Auschwitz was a massive complex of buildings. Below you will see many images of the complex, including the barbed wire electric fences, guard towers, railway tracks and barracks.

Font Gate Inside the Camp

Inside the Gate Railway Tracks

"Work Will Make You Free" at Entrance of Auschwitz Camp


Barracks for Prisoners

Barbed Wire Electric Fences

One of Many Guard Towers Beyond the Electric Fence

Translation of Sign: "Caution. High Voltage. Danger."
Birkenau Barracks - Bunks Are 3 Levels Each

Birkenau Barracks

Birkenau Looking Through the Countless Bunks

Birkenau Barracks - Bunks Were Removed From This One

Birkenau Latrine


Many Birkenau Barracks Were Demolished Post War

The Holocaust
by Barbara Sonek
www.auschwitz.dk/id6.htm

We played, we laughed
we were loved.
We were ripped from the arms of our
parents and thrown into the fire.
We were nothing more than children.
We had a future. We were going to be lawyers, rabbis, wives, teachers, mothers. We 
had dreams, then we had no hope. We were 
taken away in the dead of night like cattle in 
cars, no air to breathe smothering, crying, 
starving, dying. Separated from the world to 
be no more. From the ashes, hear our plea. 
This atrocity to mankind can not happen again. 
Remember us, for we were the children whose dreams and lives were stolen 
away.